


An Invitation

by commanderlurker (honeybee592)



Series: OTP: You're the boss [17]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Post-Trespasser
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 21:10:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9787127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeybee592/pseuds/commanderlurker
Summary: Grace receives a letter from someone she'd rather not hear from again.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Kind of a one shot originally posted on Tumblr with vague hand-waving speculation for DA4.

Grace could recognise that flowing script anywhere. Not until she tried popping the wax seal did she realise that her hand was shaking. She put the letter down on the table and went to find a cat to stroke to take her mind off it.

*

“Hey Kadan, you okay?”

Bull’s voice startled Grace and the cat jumped off her lap with liberal use of her claws. How long had she been sitting here? He sat down next to Grace and the swing-chair groaned. It would hold though and if it didn’t they’d only land on grass. Bull started it swinging, gentle and slow, rocking it with his feet, heel to toe, heel to toe.

“Grace?”

Right. She hadn’t answered him. “There’s a letter from Leliana on the table. I don’t want to read it.”

“You want me to read it?”

She nodded. He gave her a kiss and got up to fetch the letter. Grace tucked her legs up and let the chair swing itself. She chewed her thumbnail and wondered what the Divine could possibly want from her. The last letter had been… Maker, when? Years ago, sometime between Grace leaving Skyhold for the last time and arriving in Ostwick. And Grace’s reply had been curt. Polite, but short and to the point: there was no more Inquisition and no more Inquisitor. Grace’s obligations were over.

Bull came back and sat down and Grace leaned against him. “You sure you want me to read this first?”

“Yes, please.”

“What if it’s girly talk about boys?”

Grace snorted and rolled her eyes. There was no one in Thedas she would like to talk to less about anything, especially boys.

Bull cracked the wax and unfolded the paper. Grace watched his face as he read. He’d become more expressive over the years. Less guarded. His raised eyebrow lowered into a frown. He pursed his lips and cocked his head. He scratched his cheek where his eyepatch dug into the skin. He had a permanent indent there. No amount of balm could rub the skin smooth again and Grace had spent a lot of time trying.

Bull folded the letter back up and set it on his lap. “How did it arrive?”

“A messenger, one of the Chantry’s.”

“Damn.”

“Why? What did it say? What does she want?”

Bull’s sideways glance told Grace she wasn’t going to like what it said, but she knew that already.

“I assume it’s not an invitation to the Wintersend party,” she said, trying to keep her tone light.

“It’s an invitation to something,” Bull muttered.

Grace sagged as a rock settled in the pit of her stomach. “I’m not going anywhere. I won’t be paraded around any more. She can’t have me, she can’t–”

Bull tugged Grace against him, settling her head in the crook of his elbow and kissed her hair. “You don’t have to go anywhere, Kadan. We’re staying right where we are, at home, where we belong.”

Grace wiped angry tears from her eyes. The letter had fallen to the ground, one flap open so she could see Leliana’s handwriting, taunting her. “Times like these I wish I was a mage so I could click my fingers and set that on fire.”

Bull rumbled a hum. “We can do the next best thing.”

He leaned forward and a pulled a tin from his pocket. A sprinkle of gaatlok and a spark from his flint had the letter immolated in a moment. Grace watched as the fire burned bright yellow then slowed to orange, the paper curling and crumpling into black ash. A breeze caught the ash and blew the letter away. Then there was nothing left but a splodge of melted red wax on the grass.

“The garden is looking good. Lots of bees this summer.” Bull pulled Grace’ attention away from Leliana and the whole Inquisition. She followed his gaze to the flowers, all pink and purple and sweet smelling. They were looking good, she had to agree. Maybe she would pick some and put them in a vase on the table. Or Bull could help her braid them together so they could have flower crowns. She looked up at Bull, his smile lazy. “What’s got you smiling like that?”

“I was thinking of what we could do with those flowers.”

Grace smirked. “I’m guessing you weren’t thinking of flower crowns?”

“Hmm. We can do that too.”

Bull bent down and kissed Grace hard, slipping one hand up her back and the other around her waist to pick her up then lay her down in the grass, letter forgotten.

*

Once Grace was asleep, Bull slipped out of bed and padded downstairs. Working the sending crystal always made him shudder so he didn’t use it too often but Dorian’s voice came through full of warmth, at least until….

“Gracie? Maker it’s way past your bedtime. What’s wrong? Has something happened?”

“Dorian, it’s me.”

“Bull? Kaffas. Did… did she receive the letter as well?”

Bull nodded, then remembered that Dorian couldn’t see him. “Uh huh. I read it, then we burned it before she could. She’s sitting this one out. Sorry Dorian. You and Leliana are on your own.”

“She doesn’t know then?”

“No. And that’s the way it’ll stay. She’s been through enough already.”

The crystal emitted a faint hiss but was otherwise silent. Bull tried to picture the twist of Dorian’s mouth. He was probably stroking his moustache, too.

“Very well,” Dorian said. “Take good care of her.”

“I will. You just make sure you keep your business in Tevinter and far away from us.”

Dorian laughed. “I’m trying Bull, but you know what we’re like. Our desire for world domination is second only to the qunari. In all seriousness, I don’t know what good can come from the Divines’ meeting. Sounds like another Conclave in the making.”

Bull grunted. “Yeah, well, stay away from anything that might explode, okay? And keep me informed.”

“Once a spy always a spy, hmm?”

“Something like that.” A thump came from the room above. “Got to go, Dorian. Stay safe.”

“You too, Bull. Give my love to Gracie.”

Bull deactivated the crystal and set it back in its box on the mantelpiece. He encountered the source of the thump on the stairs: Ari, the big thing, trotting down for a midnight snack. Not a bad idea, but he after talking to Dorian, he needed to feel Grace’s heart beat against his, to know she was safe and alive and his, and no one else’s.


End file.
